The term fanboy is often used to describe in a negative way someone who sticks to one product or vendor just because. The term is intended to be negative because it implies that the person gave no real thought as to how good the product is or how well it fits their needs.
In a discussion about this vendor vs. that vendor playing the fanboy card is a lazy way to try and remove any legitimacy to the point of view of the other side. After all, how can they possibly bring anything useful to a discussion if they are just a fanboy?
Sadly playing the fanboy card is more often than not a lazy way of trying to ignore a different view point instead of addressing it. This is particularly true of Google Android phones vs. the iPhone. Aaron Toponce recently employed this method:
People jumped onto the iPhone bandwagon when it was announced on AT&T for two reasons: Apple fanboys and superior hardware. People getting an iPhone on the Verizon network will be: Apple fanboys.
Aaron Toponce – The Verizon iPhone
The only possible reason for “People getting an iPhone on the Verizon network will be: Apple fanboys.” By playing the fanboy card you simply get to ignore any possible counter point. I used Aaron’s post because it illustrated the point so well, folks on both sides play this game, it isn’t limited to one side or the other.
In the original post there was actually one detail provided, that the HTC Evo 4G is “head and shoulders over the iPhone 4. It’s no contest, and it’s already outdated hardware”. I’ve never used an HTC Evo 4G before and only played with an iPhone 4 for a few minutes. This made me curious to find out if there is any possible reason why someone would go with an iPhone 4 over an HTC Evo 4G. Fortunately others have already done the numbers comparison for me – Engadget lists numbers for the iPhone 4 vs. the HTC Evo 4G – with a chart for easy comparison.
Since the claim was “no contest” I only looked for things listed on the chart that could reasonably be justified by someone to indeed provide some contest.
- 802.11b/g/n for the iPhone 4, HTC Evo 4G only supports 802.11b/g
- 960 x 640 resolution on the iPhone 4, HTC Evo 4G 800 x 480
- 720p at 30fps video recording on the iPhone 4, HTC Evo 4G 720p at 24fps
- Gyroscope on the iPhone 4, none of the HTC Evo 4G
- Listed talk time, iPhone 4 – 7 hours on 3G, 14 hours on 2G and the HTC Evo 4G – 6 hours
There are several other factors that could come into play, but I choose to limit the list to just specific numbers. Now it is entirely possible that none of the iPhone 4 advantages listed above make any difference given individual circumstances. The flip side is also true, some of these factors may be very important for some individuals. This constitutes a contest between the two.
The next time you get the urge to simply wave off counter points by calling the other side a fanboy, stop and think about what you are doing. Other wise you may end up being the actual fanboy in the discussion 🙂
8 replies on “How To Make A Lazy Argument, Play the Fanboy Card”
You kind of missed the point of the post.
First, if you read the post more carefully, I don’t wave off the retina display that the iPhone has with my hand. This includes not only the higher density it pixel count and higher resolution, but the higher fps for recorded video. I gave credit where credit was due. Maybe I should have spelled it out in detail.
Also, the Evo has a gyroscope. It’s called an “accelerometer”. If the gyroscope is something different than that, then you’ll have to explain what it is.
And lastly, your battery argument doesn’t go far for one extra hour of battery life. People use their phones differently, and it’s really anyone’s guess what the battery life would be. Backgrounded apps, running wifi, display brightness, etc. Further I could easily replace the battery with a 3500 mA battery, giving me 10+ hours of talk time. Sure it’s not stock, but it’s also only $60.
Now, I admit I was a bit harsh, but can you produce a counter argument? I mean the large numbers of people who purchase the iPhone will be fanboys. I don’t mean that derogatory at all. The people rushing en masse, i.e. the ones who will boost Verizon and Apple stock, will be your standard Mac fanboy. They’re the same people who purchase the latest and greatest MacBook, iMac and iPod when it’s released. There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m certainly not putting them on any inferior level compared to anyone else. I’m not judging them. I’m merely categorizing the shoppers, and predicting where the bulk of the sales will be. There will be a small number of people that purchase the iPhone, because they were on Verizon, or they want off AT&T with their own iPhone (assuming Apple or Verizon makes this possible), or they just want the iPhone for no other reason. But the surge of sales will come from Apple fanboys, just like the surge of Evo sales came from Google/Android (or HTC) fanboys. The market is already filled with everyone else.
But really, the whole point of the article was to show bring to light “big freaking deal” about the announcement. Apple came to Verizon too late, if it’s market share they’re after. They’ve lost their thunder. The growth of Android over 2010 was immense, and the momentum is strong (even if they were chipping away mostly at Blackberry users, and not Apple ones (which is impressive for Apple in its own right)). Engadget, of course, will cover the announcement in 7 or 8 posts tomorrow, given that they’re Apple fanboys themselves (the most expressive I’ve seen, actually).
I thought your words were pretty clear actually:
Indicating that there is not one hardware feature where the iPhone 4 would win in comparison. Something not true according the specs listed on the Engadget site. I don’t own an iPhone 4 or a HTC Evo 4G so I went with specs published by the respected vendors.
On gyroscope – http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=difference+between+a+gyroscope+and+an+accelerometer
On battery life, agreed, highly variable, which is why I went with the published numbers from the vendors.
On counter argument, sure, there is indeed a contest between phones like the HTC Evo 4G and the iPhone 4 based on the different hardware and software used by the two devices. Neither one wins in the hardware specs, each has different strengths. And obviously they have differences in the software arena as well.
If, based on all of the information available, a person decides that an HTC Evo 4G best fits their needs, then great! If, after that same review they determine that an iPhone 4 on Verizon (or AT&T for that matter) best fits their needs, then that is great too. I don’t see where calling people names actually helps in making that decision.
And just as you mentioned, there are undoubtedly people who will by HTC Evo4Gs and iPhone 4s just because of who made them and their feeling of loyalty that direction.
I’m not sure why you assume that Apple is moving to Verizon only as an effort to have control of more than 50% of the mobile phone market. Have any of their previous actions indicated that is the strategy that they are taking? From what I’ve seen on how they run their computer business that is not the strategy they employ. From what I can tell they are interested in selling more phones and adding Verizon as a carrier is one what to do that. If they don’t manage to get 50% plus of the market, but still sell millions of quality phones then why is that a bad thing?
I see the additional competition that will come as a result of the iPhone being available on Verizon as a good thing, for both iPhone and Android users.
I’m sorry you misinterpreted the post. Let me outline the features, as found in this comment: http://pthree.org/2011/01/09/the-verizon-iphone/#comment-115203
Now, again, I recognized the retina display. I didn’t know about the gyroscope versus accelerometer argument. I think we both agree that the battery point is moot. To me, it’s no contest. To you, it is. Subjection.
Also, it appears you don’t like the word “fanboy”. I’m getting the feeling it offends you. So, how about this: the only people who will surge the sales are those who purchase anything and everything Apple when the latest and greatest releases. Does that work instead?
Yep, if you look at the chart I linked to – http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/07/iphone-4-vs-the-smartphone-elite-evo-4g-n8-pre-plus-and-hd2/ – the HC Evo 4G clearly has parts that are superior to the iPhone 4. That was never actually in question. I choose to investigate your claims, like “I have the HTC Evo 4G, and it’s head and shoulders over the iPhone 4. It’s no contest, and it’s already outdated hardware” indicating that there was no single hardware aspect of the iPhone 4 that was superior in any way to the HTC Evo 4G. After a few minutes reviewing the listed hardware specs for the two phones it was pretty clear that wasn’t the case.
My feelings about the term fanboy should be pretty clear from the opening paragraph in my post. I’ve never seen the term fanboy used as a positive or even neutral fashion, only in a negative way. Looking at the results of a Google search for fanboy also showed the term to be used in a generally negative way. It isn’t about offense, as it is using the term to simply dismiss a counter point instead of addressing it.
Looking at your post again, instead of dismissing anyone buying an iPhone 4 from Verizon as doing so for any other reason than to be a fanboy or as someone who “purchase anything and everything Apple when the latest and greatest releases”, it would have been much more interesting to see something like the list you mentioned after the fact. It is perfectly reasonable to review attributes that you consider strengths and reasons for your choice without having to insult others for choosing something different. Even on the subjective things, like saying “I prefer the Android OS so much more than the iPhone OS that I would never consider an iPhone even if every hardware part was superior, simply because the OS has more weight in this decision for”. That would be more clear and helpful in why you made your choice.
On the spectrum of people talking iPhone vs. Android both sides often resort to the fanboy card, because it is an easy one to play that allows you to give little thought to the points of the other side. It removes the requirement to consider the strengths and weaknesses of both sides.
I never insulted anyone, and if anyone takes offense to the post, they need thicker skin. And I’ll be first to admit that I’ve been labeled a “fanboy” in many aspects of life. Doesn’t bother me. I don’t understand why it should bother anyone else. Again though, my intent wasn’t to insult. My intent, which I thought was quite clear, was to show that it’s not that big of news. Apple coming to Verizon just doesn’t mean much anymore. That’s all. I can’t help if people take offense, but it seems clear to me that the post isn’t offensive. To each their own.
I had never played with an Android device, so I was loathe to rave about the iPhone until I had a chance.
I just spent all last week at CES playing with Android phones and I didn’t find one that could compare with Apple’s user interface. What I found was choppy, bulky and slow.
Ironically, the people who buy the iPhone on Verizon will be VERIZON fan boys: those holdouts who refused to deal with AT&T’s slow service and were willing to settle for crappy hardware.
Verizon has fanboys? I thought the best telcos could hope for was to be moderately tolerated. 🙂
Interesting. What Android devices did you play with at CES specifically? The HTC devices are a tad slow and run a bit warm with Sense UI, but the integration with the contacts is tight enough to make it worth it.
I realize this might be comparing apples to oranges, but my wife has an iPad, so at least I can compare iOS to Android. I like iOS. It’s well thought through, but it seems feature-stripped to me. It’s like the integration between apps isn’t there. Something is missing, I just can’t put my finger on it exactly. Really, it’s just a desktop with disconnected applications all over the place. Finding what you want seems to be a bit of a challenge, when you have a lot installed. But then there are folders for organization, so meh. And Android doesn’t win any medals for their “every app in one drawer” approach either.
But in terms of speed, even with Sense UI on my Evo, I don’t notice any slow downs outside of network latency. Even on my wife’s stock LG Optimus S, everything is snappy and light. I’m not trying to defend Android, I just find it weird you found it “choppy, bulky and slow”.